Pyre Flame: 100200 → 93012

  Delia ran her thumbs along Uzu’s cheek, stopping around the edge of her bandages, marring them with smears of red as she dragged the blood along. The Undead Gatekeeper Mistress's face was soft, and her eyes were full of melancholy; the air around her felt almost heavy. Suna saw her shoulder shake, and she caught herself on a rock, nearly tumbling down.

  She’s injured, too?

  “There, Sister… Just a tad bit more,” she whispered so softly that it almost escaped him.

  Delia’s thumbs pressed against Uzu’s neck, and a dark flame flickered, burning—but before Delia was able to do whatever she was doing, a spear and an arrow launched toward her.

  Suna watched for the familiar fracturing of air as his spell string finished thrumming. None came; instead, this time the sand beneath her rumbled, and a tree burst up from the ground, catching Suna’s arrow in a twist of branches.

  Jack’s spear was caught similarly. The branches from the dead tree twisted forward, knocking the spear away like a lash.

  Through the bramble of unruly branches, Suna could still spot Delia’s eyes, who now stood primly, dusting off her dress from the sand. Through the woven veil of hers, red eyes pierced him, and he did not spot the telltale sign of anger; instead, her eyes grew smaller, and she held this lonely look up into the cave darkness.

  Delia formed a fist and touched it to the dead tree she just summoned. Branches darted straight at Suna like an eager, starving animal. Suna did a quick count of about a dozen. Compared to Uzu’s countless shadow hands; this should be easier to dealt with.

  Suna rushed back with Gale Backstep—he glanced at Jack quickly to realize that the [Spearbearer] tried to recall his spear, but it was stuck there within the tree. Suna drew his Emberwind Arrow and released it, tearing through the air toward the tree, intending to free the Tiefling’s spear.

  But the branches… They reacted; they quickly merged into one and forged a wooden hand. Both spells pounded into each other, and his arrow blew through the wooden hand, but as his arrow pierced the wood, they kept growing, gnawing at his arrow.

  It's like watching a literal thick log that keeps extending. His arrow stopped as the flame attribute weakened, and the branches stopped the Emberwind Arrow completely.

  He was about to draw another one, but it was fast. Suna ducked, and the branches went by him, their shadow just above Suna’s shoulder. He sprinted forward, trying to aim Delia, the [Undead Witch].

  His heart quickened at the mere implication that he was currently facing the strongest Undead of the first depth, yet something surged inside him, swirling with a strange energy. Suna did not realize the edge of his lips had curved upward.

  Suna’s senses tugged at him. Something huge was behind him.

  He turned to see that the branches had veered at him, now forming a spear point. He tapped the ground below and lightly launched himself up with Gale Step, not high enough to launch himself into the sky, but just enough that he could turn and wield his Gale Bow for defense.

  To his right, however, from the dark, dead branches, another wooden spear point appeared; one of them launched itself at Suna.

  He slammed his Gale Bow onto it, cutting away the sharp point. But the branches still grew and punched him straight in his side.

  Suna groaned, and he was sent crashing through the sand. He immediately tapped his feet and skidded back using Gale Backstep, only to be greeted by the first branches in his face. He cut it apart with his Gale bow with a flurry of slashes. But just like earlier, the branches did not stop; it kept going. Suna kept carving them apart, then noticed another branch–from a different direction, zooming at him again.

  He bit his cheek. Was this spell endless? Surely not. Suna darted away with his Gale Backstep, and he blew the air forward with an Emberwind Arrow, releasing two arrows at both branches. Wood groaned loudly as a searing sizzle rushed through them. But the earlier exchange repeated itself, and Suna started to feel cold sweat building on his neck.

  This time, he propelled himself up, high, pushing away the sand apart. Suna drew another Emberwind Arrow, aiming right at Delia, who had already summoned another one of those dead trees to make the branches close on Jack. The Tiefling somehow closed in on Delia; he had made a gamble to retrieve his spear and was successful, now warding off the branches—Suna discharged the Emberwind. Sizzling flames hummed across, and he watched as the tailed arrow sang straight through the air toward the mistress.

  Delia closed her fist, and a fracturing of air closed around his arrow. Suna clicked his tongue as he was about to fall. But then, his arrow zoomed through, escaping the air fracture. Delia then quickly tapped her feet, and another dead tree lurched up, straight toward the Emberwind, rushing to be split open before overpowering the arrow again.

  Suna landed in a burst of sand, using Gale Step to lessen the forces.

  There must be some way to deal with these… Two branches rushed at him, lashing straight like an angry whip, and Suna dodged, jumping back and immediately sidestepping to evade these now very eager dead branches.

  It got angry, like it was alive.

  An idea crossed his mind; he might as well give it a try.

  Suna drew an enchanted Sootwood Arrow; the green pulsing arrow glowed brighter as he drew it. He quickly released it on one of the branches that lunged at him. It thudded and was immediately eaten by the branches, but then, they burst apart in a loud, resounding splinter.

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  His eyes widened, and Suna quickly drew and shot at the other branches, exploding them in a similar manner.

  He resummoned Sootroot Arrows and put them in the Grave Vine Quiver. With Gale Step, Suna charged ahead. The branches still regrew and went after him. But Suna was someone who was able to release arrows fast. He let go of his Gale Bow and drew his Marrow bow. Suna fired as he dashed, blowing these branches and creating more space for him. He focused on the tree's main body and let the Sootroot Arrow fly at it.

  The branches, now recognizing the danger, veered to defend, sacrificing themselves for the greater good of the tree. Both of them were blown apart as a result.

  That was fine with him. Suna went to a stop, and his hands thrummed from his Grave Vine Quiver to the release. Five arrows rushed into the sky; each was far from the other. Four arrows encounter resistance, blowing the branches over and over. But the last one managed to land on the tree’s trunk, and it shattered the whole tree in a rupture.

  Suna did not even realize how high it had grown. The sand beneath him quaked as the tree trunk groaned so loudly that it collapsed–sending bursts of sand flying high, even reaching the water.

  He pulled his cloak tight to shield his face from the falling sands.

  The taste of seawater blossomed in his mouth as some of them rained down on him as well.

  Suna, through the mix of water and sand, looked at Delia. Their eyes locked, and Suna volleyed the air between them with a dozen Sootroot Arrows. He quickly resummoned more arrows and stashed them in his quiver.

  The Arrows were met with different magic, unfortunately. Delia pointed her finger, and a dark flame shot out from it, bursting apart the Sootroot Arrows. The dark flame advanced, driving forward straight at him. His Thermal Instinct shook through him, and Suna started to step away, drawing an Emberwind Arrow this time. But, just when the dark flame passed by him, an incredible heat convulsed to his left. He turned to see the dark flame veer from its original path toward him.

  Before Suna could rush back, a bluish flame bloomed. Both fires combust in a smoldering blaze of intense heat. Suna shielded himself from the flame, focusing his mind into his Brimhat. The flame ignited, but he was able to splay it apart, so his body did not get burned. Still, the steam seared from his shoulder down by the mere heat of the two flames.

  Suna tried to step away, and he did so—letting out a huge lungful of breath..

  He redrew his Emberwind Arrow, his eyes peeking nervously at the clashing flames. They vaporized into dancing black and blue across the sands, still battling against each other within every grain of sand.

  He released his arrow, causing Delia, who was warding off Jack's attempt with her conjured trees, to turn on him. She again fired another fireball of dark flames. Emberwind and the dark flames erupted against one another, and his arrow managed to sear through the flames, forcing the undead witch to summon another tree, blocking it with a stout trunk that appeared from the sands.

  Suna chewed his lip; that was frustrating. He rushed forward, now drawing the Sootroot Arrow, and let it fly at the newly made tree as he kept running. Suna stepped up the fallen log, which he had blasted apart earlier; with it, Suna used Gale Step to launch himself up, breaking the charred one into smithereens in the process.

  Below, he watched as his Sootroot arrow connected, destroying the tree in the familiar explosion. Sand was sent up, and it rained down upon Delia and Jack—Delia seemed to always know where he was, as once again the Witch glanced his way before launching another volley of fireballs. This time, she did it on a smaller version and managed to launch a dozen.

  Suna did not dodge; he instead forced his hand to keep his brim hat on his head. He had already let go of his bow and arrow.

  Was this reckless? Maybe?

  But he theorized that Delia was injured in some way, given that she hadn’t used her fracturing magic and how his arrows had pierced it. The [Undead Witch] was weaker. Considering that both her sisters had run, and she finally followed them, she might act as a rear guard against an opponent.

  That's just a theory, but one that Suna was willing to take the bet on.

  He dove down with a kick of air. Dark fire surged at him, and Suna kept going. A bluish flame engulfed his body, and it burst forward, countering the dark flame. Both flames blazed against each other, coating Suna’s vision in dark and blue.

  Suna poured more mana into his brim hat. Thermal Instinct told his body where it was urgently needed. Suna then burst forward, escaping the smoke-filled sky, and landed just two meters away from Delia.

  The [Undead Witch] this time did not see him coming; she reacted too late. Suna's hand was already on Umbralline.

  A thin root rushed up, wrapping Delia's hand and forcing it to open her palm at him. Suna's eyes widened as dark flame began building up again; he was lunging when a spear skewered the [Undead Witch]'s hand. Suna saw Jack had just finished his throwing motion. But because of it, the tree branches engulfed the Tieffling in a bramble of wood.

  Suna's heart quickened, and he finally entered Delia's guard. The witch stepped back, her dress swaying with her, and her veil opened further, revealing a smooth face with streaks of red lines across it like a cut. Her dark red retina was intent on him. Delia raised her other hand in defense, but Umbralline was about to slice her neck.

  Green blood spurted, and Suna dove further. However, suddenly, an astral wall of darkness clashed against him, sending his sword away—away from Delia, the first depth Gatekeeper.

  “Don’t hurt her!” Uzu screamed as she appeared; the reaper was about to bring her huge scythe down on him, and darkness began to pour out from her skin.

  Suna instead pushed his body closer to her.

  And Pyreflame reacted to the danger; it burst forward, trying to battle the darkness away. Suna grasped Uzu's collar and dragged her close to him. She writhed, dropping her scythe, and howled in his ear.

  Uzu’s Darkness tried to resist, forming a flicker of shield. The Undead reaper then lurched forward with her face and bit down on Suna’s shoulder. Her teeth pierced through his chainmail, sending a piercing pain that shot up his neck. Suna screamed, and he dropped Umbralline. With his fist clenched, Suna smashed Uzu's face with his Shadow Gauntlet in a right hook, sending the [Undead Reaper] sprawling backward.

  Blood trailed down his arm as he let out a huff. However, he was greeted only by Delia, who was already preparing another dark flame.

  Suna immediately dropped and wrapped his gauntleted fingers around Uzu’s neck.

  “Don’t move!” The undead witch ordered. A tree sprouted out a tangle of frail branches, and Jack's body was revealed. The Runebearer was still alive, but his limbs were tightly bound, and he was unconscious. “Make one wrong move, and I will kill him,” Delia said; her tone was calm, eerily so.

  Suna, still pumped from the battle’s high, did not move; instead, he said, “I can say the same.” He motioned toward Uzu beneath him.

  “It appears this call is for a negotiation. Yes… You’re a pain to kill with that much supply of Pyre Flame.” The undead witch opened her palm, and she was doing something–something Suna couldn’t quite discern.

  “What are you do—”

  [The Undead With Gatekeeper Mistress. Delia has invited you to the Witch Tea Party.]

  [Accept/Decline]